The report is based on data from the American Medical Association, the Census Bureau, and a national resident database and tracking system. Overall, the AAMC report covers about 950,000 physicians and physicians in training among 48 of the largest specialties in 2021.
1. The specialties that saw the highest five-year jump in number of active physicians:
- Sports medicine — 42.5 percent
- Pediatric anesthesiology — 37.7 percent
- Interventional cardiology — 32.6 percent
- Critical care medicine — 30.1 percent
- Sports medicine (orthopedic surgery) — 26 percent
2. The specialties with the largest numbers of active physicians:
- Primary care specialties of internal medicine — 120,342
- Family medicine and general practice — 118,641
- Pediatrics — 60,305
3. Practicing physicians identified as the following races and ethnicities:
- White — 63.9 percent
- Asian — 20.6 percent
- Hispanic — 6.9 percent
- Black — 5.7 percent
- Multiple races —1.3 percent
- Other — 1.1 percent
- American Indian or Alaska Native — 0.3 percent
- Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander — 0.1 percent
4. Percentage of practicing physicians who are women since 2007:
- 2007 — 28.3 percent
- 2010 — 30.4 percent
- 2013 — 32.6 percent
- 2015 — 34.0 percent
- 2017 — 35.2 percent
- 2019 — 36.3 percent
- 2021 — 37.1 percent
5. Specialties with the highest percentages of physicians older than 55:
- Pulmonary disease — 92.4 percent
- Preventive medicine — 71.4 percent
- Anatomic/clinical pathology — 70.9 percent
- Cardiovascular disease — 64.9 percent
- Thoracic surgery — 62.7 percent
6. Specialties with the highest percentages of physicians younger than 55:
- Sports medicine — 91 percent
- Pediatric anesthesiology — 89.4 percent
- Interventional cardiology — 83.9 percent
- Internal medicine/pediatrics — 83.3 percent
- Sports medicine (orthopedic surgery) — 79.3 percent
7. Specialties with the highest numbers of first-year residents and fellows:
- Internal medicine — 11,257
- Family medicine/general practice — 4,856
- Pediatrics: 3,143
- Emergency medicine — 2,820
- OB-GYN: 1,483
8. Percentages of women in the 48 top specialties ranged from a high of 65 percent in pediatrics to a low of 5.9 percent in orthopedic surgery.
9. The specialties with the highest percentages of active physicians practicing in the same state where they trained:
- Child and adolescent psychiatry — 57 percent
- Family medicine/general practice — 56 percent
- Psychiatry — 55.5 percent
10. In 2021, 47.3 percent of residents and fellows were female. Percentages of women in the 48 top specialties ranged from a high of 86.4 percent in OB-GYN residencies to a low of 10.7 percent in sports medicine (orthopedic surgery) residencies.
